


Mitchsen Drabble Series

by thatmitchsentho



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 21:00:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8816098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatmitchsentho/pseuds/thatmitchsentho
Summary: 10 Mitchsen Drabbles, set in the same universe, covering the beginning of their relationship right through to post-marriage and children. (Rated M for last two chapters.) Thanks to tumblr user anna-squared for the prompts.





	1. Chapter 1

"Please come get me." The request was whispered.

"Beca?"

"Aubrey?" came the confused response. "I thought I called Chloe."

"You did," she replied. "But she's not here. She's out with Tom, she must have left her phone by accident."

"Shit," Beca said. "She was supposed to be my safety."

"Where are you?" Aubrey asked, looking for her shoes.

"What?"

"If you're somewhere that caused you to need a safety and you need an out, I'll come pick you up."

"You don't have to, Aubrey, I'll call Amy," Beca said quietly.

"Beca its eleven o'clock. She's probably drunk off of her ass," Aubrey said. "Look, just tell me where you are."

"I'm at a party on Drummond Street," Beca said. "Hiding in a closet on the second floor."

"Why are you in a closet?" Aubrey asked, picking up her keys.

"It's a long story," Beca said, coughing.

"I'll be about fifteen minutes, do you think you'll be okay?" Aubrey asked.

"I should be," Beca said. "And Aubrey?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"It's no problem," Aubrey responded. She quickly got in her car and drove to the correct street, pulling up opposite a house that had cars all over the lawn and people spilling out the door. She texted Beca.

I'm out the front. Black Prius.

A moment later, she saw Beca barreling through the crowd. Then she saw Jesse pushing through after her. Beca kept her head down and all but ran across the street, hurtling into the car and slamming the door.

"Drive!" she commanded croakily. Aubrey chanced a look at the approaching Jesse who looked angry and was calling after her. She hurriedly took off and drove away, watching as Jesse tossed his half full red cup toward the car in rage.

"What the hell is going on?" Aubrey said. She turned her eyes to the brunette in the seat next to her. She was shocked to see the smaller girl had clearly been crying, there was a huge red mark across her neck and a split in her lip that had caused blood to run all over her light grey t-shirt. "Shit, Beca."

"Just take me home," she said.

"No," Aubrey said. Beca glared at her. "Look, I don't know what happened but judging by your appearance right now and the angry treble back at the party, something went down. And he looks beyond pissed, so I'm not taking you home because that's the first place he's going to go looking for you." Beca paused for a beat then nodded, her fingers massaging the mark on her neck and wincing.

"Do you need a doctor?" Aubrey asked, her voice full of concern.

"I dunno," Beca said. "But they ask questions. It doesn't hurt as much as it did." Aubrey nodded and drove her back to the apartment she shared with Chloe.

"You can stay here tonight," Aubrey said. "Chlo is staying the night with Tom, and I know she wouldn't mind you in there, God knows you've slept over a million times."

"Thank you," Beca said. "Are you going to ask me what happened?"

"If you want to talk about it, go ahead, but I'm not going to presume it's my business," Aubrey began. "That being said, if Jesse is hurting you… Beca, you don't have to put up with that, even from your boyfriend." She got out of the car.

"He's not my boyfriend," Beca said, following Aubrey inside. "I can't believe Chloe didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" Aubrey asked. She fetched an ice pack from the freezer and wrapped it in a tea towel before handing it to Beca.

"Like I said, long story," she said, gingerly holding it against her neck. "Everyone saw me kiss Jesse at nationals. Everyone. But nobody saw what happened after."

"If you're not comfortable-"

"Honestly I'd thought Chloe would have said something," Beca said. "The second I stopped kissing Jesse I realized it was the fucking dumbest thing I've ever done."

"He's that bad a guy?" Beca shot her a look.

"He is, but it's not even that," Beca said. "It was kind of this clarifying moment for me. I'm gay. Like, really god damn gay. So I told Jesse it was a mistake and he was okay. He said it might take him some time for us to be able to hang out because he had a lot of residual feelings he had to figure out, but then he invited me to a party." Aubrey had located some antiseptic wipes and steri-strips. She gestured to Beca's face in request for permission, the brunette angling her face up in response.

"I thought I was getting my friend back," she said. "Instead he stuck his forearm on my throat and pinned me down saying we could make it work. He just needed a chance to show me he could be good to me."

"Wait, what!?" Aubrey said.

"I told him no because of the obvious me being gay," she said. She sucked in a gasp as Aubrey gently cleaned her lip and put the steri-strips on. "I told him it hadn't changed and I was kind of interested in someone else. He smacked me in the mouth and told me I was a bitch and a tease. So I kneed him in his junk and took off. Party was full of his friends so I just went where nobody would find me - closet in the master bedroom. It was supposed to be off limits." The brunette was staring at the floor.

"Jesus Beca," Aubrey said. She wanted to hug the brunette but didn't want to cross any boundaries that might already be seriously damaged. Instead she reached out and took Beca's hand. "Are you okay?"

Beca looked up, eyes swimming with tears, and shook her head. "Not at all." The first tears hit her cheeks and Aubrey pulled her into a hug. They'd never had a moment quite like this before. They both just held each other for a few moments. They pulled apart and Aubrey kept hold of her hands.

"Look I really think you should go to the cops or something," she said. "I mean, either way, I'm here for you. But he's going to be everywhere you are and I don't see how that's going to be easy for you."

"I really don't even want to think about that right now," Beca said. "Maybe in the morning. I'm fucking exhausted and sore right now."

"I probably only have Tylenol here," Aubrey said. "Let me get you some and I'll set you up in Chloe's room."

Beca went into Chloe's room and tugged open a drawer she knew contained pajamas. It was cold, so she pulled on some old sweats and dug through to find a shirt to replace the blood stained one she was currently wearing. She took the shirt off and was staring at it blankly when Aubrey walked in with some water and Tylenol.

"Sorry," she said, registering Beca's half dressed state. The brunette tugged a replacement shirt on, tossing the grey one in Chloe's wastebasket under her desk.

"It's fine," she said. She took the Tylenol and drank some of the water.

"If you need anything during the night you can wake me if you need to," Aubrey said.

"I appreciate this, Aubrey," Beca said.

"It's no trouble," Aubrey said. "Try and get some sleep, okay?" Beca nodded and Aubrey closed the door. Beca crawled into Chloe's bed and promptly fell asleep.

Aubrey woke the next morning and wondered if it would be weird if she went and checked on Beca. She was worried about the smaller girl, even if they weren't very close. In the end her concern won out and she gently tapped on the door of Chloe's room before she opened it.

"Beca?" Aubrey said. She swung the door a little further and saw the room was empty. Chloe's bed was made and the sweatpants Beca had borrowed for bed were folded neatly on the end. On top was a note.

Aubrey,  
I didn't want to wake you this morning. Thank you for last night. I've gone to see the clinic doc and then I'm going to see the police. I owe you.  
Beca.

She was re-reading the note when she heard the door open and Chloe come in. The redhead found her in her bedroom.

"What's that?" Chloe asked.

"Uh, Beca stayed the night," Aubrey said. "She tried calling you but you left your phone here and I answered."

"Why is she seeing a doctor and the cops?" Chloe asked. "What happened last night?" Her voice had a clear tone of worry. Aubrey quickly explained what Beca had told her, briefly describing her injuries. Chloe was livid. Aubrey had to stop her going after Jesse, twice, and reassured her that she had taken good care of Beca the night before. Chloe eventually calmed down and went off into her room to study.

It was after lunch time when she heard a knock on the door. She heard Chloe get up and answer it, figuring it was Tom, and returned to her book. A moment later there was a tap on the doorframe. Beca was holding a bunch of lilies.

"Beca?"

"These are for you," she said, still a little hoarse. "A thank you for last night."

"You didn't have to do that," Aubrey blushed, taking the flowers. She gestured to the bed and Beca sat down.

"I did," Beca said. "By the way the doc said good job with the lip. I might have a little scar but it's not bad. And the voice will come back, but no singing for a while."

"Did you go to the police?" Aubrey asked.

"I did," Beca said. "They're going to lay charges of assault and attempted sexual assault."

"That's good news," Aubrey said. "Are you feeling better today?"

"Much," Beca said. "Hey Aubrey?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you maybe want to grab dinner with me tonight?" Beca asked. Aubrey was surprised.

"What?"

"Um, remember when I said I was sort of interested in someone?"

"You mean… Me?" Aubrey said. Beca shrugged nervously.

"Well, yeah," she said. "So, dinner?" Aubrey thought about it for a second. Her and Beca? That hadn't even crossed her mind except the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She saw Beca getting increasingly nervous and figured she'd better answer.

"You know what? I think I'd really like that." Beca smiled from ear to ear.


	2. Chapter 2

"You don't have to stay." It was weak and tired.

"Are you joking?" Aubrey asked. "I got a message from Amy telling me my girlfriend looks like she's been mauled by a herd of dingoes. Did you not think I'd be over here in a flash?"

"It's just a cold," Beca managed. "I'm fine." Aubrey walked into the dorm room and felt Beca's forehead, blazing hot and damp.

"No you're not. Actually, you know what? I'm not staying, and neither are you. You'll just infect Amy with your germs and then the rest of the Bellas too. You're coming home with me."

"No," Beca said.

"Like you have the strength to argue," Aubrey said. "You just sit there, I'll pack some of your stuff and we'll go back to the apartment."

"Bree I'm fine," Beca began to say, but she was wracked with a fit of coughing. Aubrey sat her down and quickly packed underwear and pajamas and a few other bits and pieces into a bag. Then she jotted a note to Amy and helped Beca get her shoes on. The brunette was shaky and weak, so it took them quite a while to get downstairs. Aubrey made her wait on a bench while she went to get the car.

Once she'd gotten Beca home to her place and tucked into bed, she took her temperature. "You definitely have a fever."

"But I'm fucking cold," Beca said. "And my body hurts."

"I know but I can't give you another blanket," Aubrey said. "It won't help your fever."

She got some water and Advil and made Beca take it. The brunette haphazardly pushed hair from her face as she lay down, so Aubrey lifted her back up so she could tie her hair back out of her face.

"Will you be okay if I duck out to grab some supplies?" Aubrey asked. Beca's eyes were starting to droop.

"Mmhmm," she said. Aubrey smoothed her hair down and waited a moment until she was sure the smaller girl was asleep. She did look pretty bad, she conceded. Deep rings around her eyes, pale skin.

Aubrey went and picked up some more Advil, cough syrup, some ginger ale, some crackers and some Gatorade. She also picked up some takeout containers of clear chicken soup to put in the fridge for when Beca was feeling up to eating. Then she headed back home to check on her girlfriend.

Beca was still out like a light. She put her purchases away and pulled out some of her homework to occupy her until she woke, settling in the armchair in the corner of her room.

Beca woke a few hours later, still looking and sounding miserable. She drank some of the offered Gatorade but declined food with a wrinkled nose. "I feel horrible," she moaned. "I'm used to suffering through a cold but this is a million times worse."

"That's because you most likely have the flu and not just a cold," Aubrey said. "Your fever is constant, the achy body, chills, cough, fatigue… What about a shower?"

"That involves standing."

"A bath then," Aubrey said. "Not too hot, unfortunately, but it'll still help." Beca nodded and got out of the bed slowly. Aubrey ran the bath and then helped her undress and get into the tub. Beca sighed as she relaxed her aching muscles.

"That feels great," she said.

"I'll bring you a change of clothes," Aubrey said. She went and got some clean underwear and pajamas from Beca's bag and brought them into her. She looked incredibly relaxed in the bath, for which Aubrey was grateful. After a while she indicated she was ready to get out. Beca stood up and Aubrey wrapped her in a thick towel, helping her dry off.

"I feel like a little kid," Beca said. "Not sure if it's a good thing."

"Do you feel better?"

"A little. Still feel like shit though," Beca said. "But you're taking really good care of me, Bree, and I appreciate it."

"What are girlfriends for?" Aubrey said.

"I know," Beca said. "But we haven't been together that long. It's probably in the category of above and beyond." They'd only been together four and a half months. Sure, things were going well - really well even - but Beca hadn't counted on Aubrey seeing her looking quite this bad for a while yet. She helped Beca into her clean pajamas and made her sit down while she loosely braided her hair out of her face.

"Hungry?" Aubrey asked. Beca shook her head, so Aubrey just brought her some more Advil and Gatorade, and some cough syrup. The pharmacist had said it might make Beca drowsy but it had a decongestant that would help clear all the crap from her head. Beca was settled back in bed.

"Normally I'd suggest watching a movie or something," Aubrey said, "but I know how you feel about those."

"It's alright," Beca said. Then Aubrey got up and turned her laptop on. She opened iTunes and picked some quiet music and pressed play. Beca smiled as Aubrey sat down next to her.

"Much better alternative," Beca said. "Aren't you afraid you'll get sick?"

"I rarely get sick," Aubrey said. "Chloe used to joke that if a virus did manage to ever get into my body I'd just will it away. The last time I was sick enough to need to stay in bed I was seven." She reached a hand out and softly stroked Beca's hair.

"But what about when you want to go to sleep?" she asked, her eyes closing.

"I'll take the couch. Don't argue," she warned. "It's a couple of days, and you're my girlfriend." Beca hummed. The sleeping agent in the cough syrup combined with the steady movement of Aubrey's hand in her hair was making her drift off. Just before she completely fell asleep Aubrey heard her speak.

"I love you Aubrey," she heard. Aubrey's hand slowed but didn't stop. That was a first. She hadn't said it yet because she knew Beca would need to process things on her side first, but she knew she was in love with the smaller girl too.

"Yeah, I love you too." Beca's eyes snapped wide open, a drowsy smile on her face. Then they fell closed again as she succumbed to her sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh fuck, oh FUCK." Beca knew it must be bad because her girlfriend was in no way liberal with profanities.

"What's going on?" Beca asked. She was talking on the phone with Aubrey as she walked across campus picking up classwork she'd missed when she'd had the flu. She'd missed three days of classes and would be paying for it in study hours, but Aubrey had taken exceptionally good care of her. She still had a lingering cough and was easily tired but it was a vast improvement on her confinement to bed for five straight days.

"Remember how I said I never get sick?" Aubrey said. "I came home from work because I was feeling a little out of it and the boss wanted me to get it out of my system."

"You're sick?"

"I had a nap for two hours and now I've got a fever," she sighed. "Must have been a hell of a flu you had if it latched onto me and survived."

"Well then I'm coming back to take care of you," Beca said. "Let me just pick up my work and I'll pack another bag of clothes and be over soon."

"I'll be okay, I'll just sleep it off."

"Bree, don't be ridiculous. What else are girlfriends for?"

"Okay," Aubrey said. "I'm going to take a shower and get into bed but I'll leave the door unlocked."

"Any specific requests?" Beca asked.

"We're going to need more Advil and cough syrup," Aubrey said. "But make sure you get one without dextromethorphan because I'm allergic to it."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll be there soon. Love you."

"Love you too." Beca hurriedly went and picked up her coursework, thinking to get the next few days as well in case Aubrey got so sick she couldn't be left alone. Most of her professors were okay, they were just glad she was making the effort to at least pick it up - which was Aubrey's influence - but she did have to be in class Thursday afternoon for a quiz.

After getting all her work she went back to the dorm room she shared with Amy.

"She's alive!" the Australian said. "I was worried you'd died and Aubrey was hoarding your body for something weird."

"I'm fine," Beca said. "Almost better. But apparently I infected Bree and now I need to go take care of her for a few days. Just here to grab some clean clothes and my laptop."

"Wow Aubrey's sick? Thought that never happened."

"I know," Beca said. She assembled all of her stuff and then left Amy, her roommate promising she wouldn't have any orgies in her absence.

She stopped at the drugstore on the way and was looking blankly at the wall of cough syrups when someone approached her. "Do you need some help?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "My girlfriend has the flu and when I was sick she brought me a cough syrup with a decongestant in it. It was boss, so I'm returning the favor. But I need one that doesn't have dextro…. something."

"Dextromethorphan?" the man asked.

"Yeah, that's it, she's allergic to it," Beca said. He helped her pick one, and she remembered to grab the Advil as well.

"It is a pretty bad flu, the one running around at the moment," he said as he rang up the purchases.

"Tell me about it. I was horizontal for five days," Beca said. "And Bree said the last time she was sick enough to stay in bed was when she was seven."

"Okay," he said. "Plenty of fluids, nothing heavy in terms of food, if she's not improving in five to seven days call a doctor, or if she starts having problems breathing."

"Thanks," Beca said, shoving it all in her bag. She ducked into the nearby store and picked up more drinks, then added a few things for herself because she knew Aubrey hadn't been to get groceries lately because she was too busy taking care of Beca.

She tried to let herself in as quietly as possible, unpacking the things she'd bought and kicking off her shoes. She peered into the bedroom. Aubrey was fast asleep, buried deep into her pillow and blanket pulled up around her tightly. Beca left the door open so she could keep an ear out and settled at the kitchen table to get started on her mountain of work.

Aubrey woke up coughing some time later, so Beca went to check on her. "Hey," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got trampled by a hippo," Aubrey pouted.

"Um, can I get you something?" Beca asked awkwardly. "I'm not good with… this. Taking care of sick people. Never really done it."

"You've never taken care of a sick person?"

"Nope," Beca said. "I bought cough syrup though, and more Gatorade and Advil and I can get you some of that?" She bounded up from the bed, the jolt causing Aubrey to wince. Her head was pounding.

"Shit, sorry," Beca said. "I'm bad at this. Sorry."

"Some Advil and Gatorade would be great," she said. Beca smiled sheepishly and went and got the requested items.

"Do you want to take a bath or shower?" Beca said. "I mean, you did that for me and it was pretty great."

"I took one earlier," Aubrey said. Beca bit her lip. She didn't feel like she was doing a very good job.

"Oh!" Beca said. "I know." She disappeared into the living room and reappeared with her laptop. She signed in to Aubrey's Netflix account and started up whatever movie had been next in her queue. She slid closer to Aubrey, encouraging the blonde to snuggle against her, wrapped her arm around her and settled in.

"Good idea," Aubrey said. The blonde barely made it twenty minutes into the movie before she fell asleep again. Beca dozed next to her for a little while before she got up. She was just about to start microwaving some pizza rolls when she heard Aubrey talking loudly. She went to check on her.

"I'm late," she was saying, trying to sit up. "The bus will be here soon and I can't miss it or the opera will start late." Beca frowned.

"It's okay," she said, tucking her back in. The blonde looked up at her with vague, unfocused eyes. Beca felt her forehead. It was scorching hot. Beca didn't know how hot was too hot. "Stay here, Bree, okay? I'll be right back." She went into the bathroom and looked around for a thermometer. While she was in there she could still hear Aubrey talking.

She eventually found it and took it back in to Aubrey who was trying to dial someone on her phone, only she couldn't get it to unlock. Beca slid the thermometer under her tongue and waited. When she pulled it out it read 105.3. Shit. She went and got a bottle of water and a straw.

"Bree? You want to drink some water for me?" she asked. With her other hand she dialed her dad. She didn't know what to do, but she knew 105 was high.

"Nope, not thirsty," she said stubbornly.

"For me?" Beca asked. "Just a little?" Aubrey shook her head, again ranting that she was going to be late. Her dad didn't answer the phone. Opening the Internet browser on her phone she looked up the number for the nearest medical center.

"Barden Med," an efficient voice said.

"Hi," she said. "I'm not sure if I should be calling you or whatever but I don't know what to do. My girlfriend has the flu but her temperature is above a hundred and five and she's delirious."

"Above 105?"

"Yeah. She won't drink anything she's just worried she's going to miss the bus and the opera will start late, which means nothing."

"Okay you'll want to bring her to an emergency room," the woman said. "You don't need to be seriously worried, but it's important that fever gets brought under control as soon as possible. The delirium and refusal of liquids means she's probably severely dehydrated and will need an IV."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll go straight away." She hung up and grabbed some of Aubrey's stuff and her cell phone charger and purse. Then she realized she had no idea about Aubrey's insurance. She called Chloe.

"Chlo where does Aubrey keep all her important shit?" she asked. "I need her insurance details."

"Oh god what's happened?"

"She's really sick," Beca said. "This flu thing I had. She's got a really high fever and she's talking crazy and Barden Med said to take her to the ER."

"I'm on my way over anyway, I'll drive you." Chloe said. "Uh, in the bottom drawer of her desk there's a red folder. All her details are in there."

"Okay. Thanks Chloe." She hung up and went in search of the folder. Her medical insurance details were right there, plain as day. She took the sheet of paper and went back to check on Aubrey. Aubrey had successfully gotten up and managed to put shoes on. Beca shrugged and rolled with it, it was one less thing she had to convince her to do.

"Gonna be late," Aubrey said vehemently.

"No it's okay," Beca said. "Chloe's coming to pick us up so we won't have to worry about the bus. She'll be here soon. Are you sure you don't want some water?"

"No," Aubrey said. Beca put a light hoodie on her and took her downstairs just as Chloe pulled up. Beca got into the backseat with her.

"She looks bad," Chloe said. She was as pale as Beca had been, her lips starting to crack because they were so dry.

"Yeah. I had it, but it wasn't like this. Bree said she never gets sick?"

"Never. So maybe when she finally does she goes all out," Chloe suggested.

"Twenty minutes." Beca still had the water bottle with her, trying to convince her to at least take a sip. She even went so far as to suggest that opera singers drink lots of water but it didn't work.

When they got to the hospital, Chloe dropped them off and went to park. Beca helped her inside slowly, the blonde getting weak on her feet. She went to the admit desk.

"Hi. My girlfriend has a fever of 105.3 and she's delirious. I can't get her to drink anything and Barden Med said I should bring her in." The nurse was up in a flash and was taking her temperature and her pulse simultaneously. The thermometer beeped and she read it.

"106.1," she said to another nurse who wrote it down. "What's her name?"

"Aubrey Posen," Beca said. The nurse motioned for a wheelchair. "I have all her insurance details, I just didn't know what to do with a fever that high."

"No you did the right thing," the nurse with the chart said. "Has she been sick recently?"

"Um, yes. I had the flu for about five days and she took care of me, then this morning she called and said she was sick too."

"Any allergies we should know about?"

"Yes but I can't remember the name. Dextro-something, in cough syrups? I'm sorry."

"Dextromethorphan allergy," the nurse wrote down. She asked for Aubrey's birthdate as well. "When was the last time she ate or drank anything?"

"Ate, last night. Drank, she had a couple mouthfuls of Gatorade about three and a half hours ago, but now she won't even take anything," Beca said. The nurse helped Aubrey into a wheelchair.

"Going to the opera now?" Aubrey asked.

"Sure," the nurse said. "How long has she been talking about the opera?"

"An hour," Beca said. The nurse nodded.

"We'll get the next available doc to check her out but I guarantee we'll be admitting her. When was her temp last taken by you?"

"About forty minutes ago," Beca said. The nurse tapped a man in a white coat on the shoulder.

"Dr Daniels? This is Aubrey Posen, twenty two, temp of 106.1 taken here and 105.3 forty minutes ago at home. Prolonged exposure to flu, delirious with ongoing hallucination, refusal of fluids, weak pulse." He pointed to a room and Beca followed the nurse pushing her girlfriend. He examined her quickly. Beca noticed she looked even more vague and her eyes fluttered as she tried to open them.

"And you are?" he said to Beca.

"I'm her girlfriend, Beca Mitchell, I brought her in," she said. "I've got her insurance paperwork."

"Her fever is quite high at the moment," he said to her. "We want to bring that down now, using cooled IV fluids. It's normally dehydration causing the spike, but we'll have to monitor her for at least twelve hours, considering her temperature increased by more than half a degree in the last hour."

"Okay," Beca said.

"You're welcome to stay," he said. "If she snaps out of the delirium she might be disorientated and it'll help if someone familiar is here. She was in contact with the flu?"

"That was me," she said. "I was sick."

"That's a good sign though," he said. "It makes it less likely to be meningitis. We can treat it like the flu with a certain level of confidence. But if she doesn't improve or gets worse, we'll have to look at other tests. Do you need to call someone?"

"No, but there'll be a redhead looking for us soon," Beca said. "She dropped us at the door and went to park the car." The nurse promised to send her back and the doctor left instructions for Aubrey's IV. Beca helped the nurse change Aubrey into a gown and settle her in bed. Beca kept her occupied while the nurse started an IV line. Chloe showed up and took a seat out of the way.

"How is she?" she asked Beca.

"We're going to be here at least twelve hours," Beca said. "Her temperature has gone up, it's over 106 now."

"Poor Bree," Chloe said. Aubrey was nodding off again. Beca held her hand.

"Should I call her dad?" she asked. "I mean, I've never met the guy. He knows I exist, and that we're dating but I don't know how he'd react if I called."

"He probably won't come, but I'm sure he'd appreciate the call," Chloe said. "From you."

"Will you stay with her?" Beca asked, digging out Aubrey's cell.

"Of course," Chloe said. "If you see coffee anywhere grab me some?"

"That's not a bad idea," Beca said. She went out into the hall and opened Aubrey's contacts, scrolling to 'Dad' and pressing the phone icon.

"Aubrey?" came the clipped voice. Beca swallowed hard. She had no idea why this man made her so nervous.

"No sir, it's Beca Mitchell, Aubrey's girlfriend," she said.

"Beca, yes. What can I do for you?" came the clipped response.

"Sir, I just wanted to call to let you know that Aubrey's in hospital," she said. "The doctor says it's just the flu coupled with dehydration, but her fever was really high and she was hallucinating. So I called the medical center and they told me to bring her in."

"She's expected to be fine?" he asked. His tone was measurably softer.

"I believe so. She's getting fluids now and they want us to stay for at least twelve hours, but they're fairly confident it's going to pass quickly," she said.

"Good," he said. "Will you call and let me know of her progress?"

"Yes sir," she said. "She's sleeping now."

"Thank you for calling, Beca."

"No problem, sir," she said and hung up the phone. She asked a nurse where the nearest coffee was and was directed to the second floor where she picked up some coffee and a couple of donuts covered in thick icing from a cart, and took it back to Aubrey's room.

"How was Aubrey's dad?"

"Fine. I think he was glad I called," she said. "He asked me to call and update him later."

"Wow. He must like you." Chloe saw how Beca was worrying over Aubrey. "You're really worried about her."

"I feel bad. If I hadn't gotten her sick, she wouldn't be here."

"Beca, this isn't your fault," she said.

"I know that," Beca said. "I do. But she's way sicker than I was. I just passed out in her bed for a couple days. She's in hospital." She took Aubrey's hand again and let her thumb brush over the back of her knuckles.

"So…" Chloe said, "it's getting to that serious point, isn't it? Where you either break up or settle in."

"Well I'm settling in, if those are the options," she said, taking a sip of the coffee.

"You two make sense, in a weird kind of way," Chloe said. "You shouldn't. But then I see you guys together and it seems perfect."

"She's good for me," Beca said. "She pushes me without being on my case. And we have a lot of the same issues with our dads and stuff, so she gets why I am the way I am. I don't have to explain myself to her. And she's just so… she doesn't make me feel like a fuckup, Chlo. And I'm not the easiest person to be around or with, I know, but with her I feel like a good girlfriend, you know?" Chloe hadn't really heard Beca talk like this about their relationship so far.

"I mean, I think I make her happy," Beca continued. "I hope I do, anyway. I want her to be as happy as I am when I'm with her."

"That's adorable," Chloe said. Beca blushed a little and looked down. "No, I'm not teasing. And she is happy. She tells me all the time how happy she is. Aubrey, deep down, has been lonely for a long time. But this thing you guys have, I know it means a lot to her."

"Good," Beca said with a smile. "Maybe when she's feeling better I'll tell her all the stuff I just told you."

"That's a good idea." They chatted a little while about other things, before Chloe announced she'd have to get going, but to call if she needed anything or Aubrey were being discharged. Beca pulled Chloe's chair toward her, tugged Aubrey's hoodie out of her bag and curled up in the chairs and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"Where are you?!" Beca called worriedly. The toilet flushed and Aubrey appeared in the hallway. "Oh thank god. I thought you'd gone off looking for the opera again."

"Just the bathroom," Aubrey said. Beca put her bags down. "You were gone a while."

"The line at the drugstore was huge," Beca said. "But I got the stuff the docs recommended. Electrolyte balancing drinks, and Tylenol since we can alternate that with the Advil. Then I got me something to eat because I'm starving." She'd been sitting next to Aubrey's hospital bed since the previous afternoon after the blonde had succumbed to the flu with hallucinations due to dehydration. The ER had held her for eighteen hours while they brought her temperature down before Beca was allowed to bring her home.

"I'm not hungry," Aubrey said.

"I know," Beca said. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty horrible," Aubrey said. "My body hurts."

"Well my body ached just from the flu I can't imagine what the dehydration did to you," Beca said. "Why don't you jump into bed and I'll bring you something to drink?" Aubrey smiled. She went into the bedroom and Beca poured some of the hydrating drink into a cup with some ice, then got herself some juice and a granola bar and went into the bedroom. Aubrey was sitting upright in bed.

She took the drink and drank it all without complaining, and Beca got into the bed next to her. "I thought you got something to eat? Surely you got more than that."

"Yeah but I'll wait til you're asleep in case the smell gets you nauseous," Beca said. "More Netflix?" Aubrey nodded and Beca cued up the laptop. Aubrey snuggled into her side and held her hand. As the opening credits started she remembered something from earlier.

"Hey Beca?" she nudged her.

"Yeah?"

"When I was asleep at the hospital, was I dreaming or were you and Chlo talking about us?" she asked.

"No, that really happened," Beca said. "What do you remember?"

"I remember you hoping that you make me happy," Aubrey said. "And a bunch of other nice stuff I think."

"Yeah," Beca said. "Chloe said we were at that point where people either break it off or get serious and I told her I wasn't breaking anything off."

"Good," Aubrey said.

"Look, Bree, I was going to wait until you weren't so sick to have this talk," Beca said. "But I'm serious about this. About you. I was telling Chlo… It's like with my dad. I know he disapproves of the tattoos and the piercings and the music, and I suspect he probably isn't too excited about the dating girls thing. I feel like such a fuck up most of the time. But when I'm with you I feel good. About myself, about everything in general. So I want to make you happy, because I love you and you make me feel like I'm not such a fuck up after all." Aubrey took her other hand.

"Beca, you're not a fuck up. You're pursuing a career that you love. You're working hard at it, not compromising. You're not giving up. You're brave and determined and strong. And you make me so happy," Aubrey said. "I haven't been happy like I am with you in my entire life. You understand me, even all the stuff that makes people run a mile and you still think I'm awesome. Who wouldn't be happy with that? And I love you too."

Beca closed the laptop and put it on the nightstand. Then she wriggled down into the blankets next to Aubrey and held her close, arm wrapping over her from behind. She kissed the back of her shoulder. The blonde relaxed into her embrace.

"Beca you just got better you shouldn't get sick again," Aubrey murmured.

"Probably," Beca said. "But I kind of just want to hold you right now."

"I won't complain then," Aubrey said. Beca felt her breathing even out and she made a mental note to get up in a few moments. It never happened; the steady beat of Aubrey's heart lulled her to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

"Look at me - just breathe, okay?" Beca said. She rubbed slow circles on her girlfriend's back. Aubrey tried to calm her breathing and still the rolling tide in her gut. She focused on the soothing movement of Beca's hand, screwing her eyes shut and breathing steadily.

It had been five years and three months. And during that time the two of them had learned a lot about each other. Like Beca hated olives. Like Aubrey had a thing for those mutant monster movies. Like Beca occasionally had nightmares that left her screaming until she could be woken up. And, of course, that in stressful or highly emotional situations, Aubrey's body attempted to expel everything currently in her stomach. Beca knew the signs, and after a pretty intense and emotional speech that ended in her proposing to Aubrey, she'd seen the pale face and sharp intake of air. Hence the back rubbing.

"Gotta say," Beca said. "Not the reaction I was expecting when I asked you to marry me."

"Not the question I was expecting when we came out for dinner," Aubrey replied, her breath returning to normal. Beca handed her a glass of water and waited for her to take a sip.

"Now I don't want to pressure you, but you didn't actually answer me," Beca said. "You didn't even get to see the ring."

"You have a ring?" Aubrey asked.

"Of course I bought a ring," Beca said. "It's a marriage proposal, I'm not going to not have a ring. You okay?"

"Yeah," Aubrey said. She squared her shoulders. "Ask me again."

"Well I already used my good speech on the first one," Beca said. "But the short version is that I love you like crazy, Bree, even when you're threatening to vomit over everything I hold sacred. I'm better with you and because of you and I really would love for you to take this ring and let me marry you." She held out the ring, a simple but elegant solitaire set in white gold.

"Yes," Aubrey said simply. "I want to be your wife more than anything." Beca smiled and took the ring, sliding it onto her finger and kissing her softly.

"Champagne?" she said.

"Uh, maybe a ginger ale for me," Aubrey said sheepishly. Beca just shook her head and pulled her in again.


	6. Chapter 6

"I just really need to have you here right now." Aubrey's voice was tired. Beca looked into her wife's eyes.

"I know, but I made a commitment, Bree," she said. Aubrey's eyes were full of desperation.

"You also made a commitment to me," she said, holding up her hand so Beca could see the rings she'd put there. "You promised that I would be your priority, that I would be your first and foremost. They were your vows, Beca. You wrote them. I feel like I haven't spent any time with you in weeks."

"What do you want me to do? It's my job," Beca said. "A job that keeps us living very comfortably, I might add."

"I would rather be dead broke and have you home than this," Aubrey said. "We're slipping away from each other, Beca. Can't you see that?"

"I'm not slipping," Beca said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Well you're never here," Aubrey said. "You're always someplace else. God knows I love you, but this is not the life we promised each other."

"You don't seem to mind this life so much when we're out at fancy parties and awards nights," Beca said.

"Yes I'm always with you when you need me to be," Aubrey said pointedly. She bit her lip. "But what about when I need you? Last week I waited for two hours for you at the Plaza bar because you were supposed to meet me to celebrate me winning a big case. And you never showed, you never called, and you didn't even say a word. So tell me how I'm supposed to believe you're as invested in this as the day we got married."

Beca felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Aubrey was right, she had forgotten. Aubrey had won probably the biggest case of her career so Beca promised her dinner and drinks at the Plaza. But then work had distracted her and she never even made the reservation.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow," she said tightly. "I have to go, I'm going to be late."

"Sure we will," Aubrey said sadly. She got up and left the room, and Beca had never seen anyone looking so defeated in her life. But she'd made a deal. She left and got into her car, trying to ignore the ache in her chest. She drove, forgetting where she was supposed to be going. All she could think about was the look that she'd just left on her wife's face. The look she'd put there.

It was all her doing. Aubrey was right. She'd promised to be a good wife, promised a lot of things. And she'd been ignoring those promises. Ignoring her wife. She hated herself profoundly at that moment. Pulling over to the side of the road she bent her head to the steering wheel and began to cry. It hadn't been her intention for this to happen. Aubrey deserved to be loved and adored and cherished, something she'd promised to do but was clearly failing at.

She realized she'd pulled over near a park and got out of the car, needing to walk for a moment. She kept her head ducked down and jacket pulled up in case she was recognized, and wandered aimlessly. Things had to change. She had to change. Because Aubrey deserved better than this. And even though Aubrey hadn't said anything of the sort, Beca wouldn't be surprised if she came home one of these days and Aubrey wouldn't even be there.

That thought terrified her. She absolutely could not lose Aubrey. After a lifetime of the people she loved bailing on her, she couldn't lose her, not even if she was the reason why. She didn't want to be famous if it cost her the one thing she loved most in the world.

She sat on a bench for a while, thoughts racing around. Things were bad, she knew it. Aubrey was passionate and she never backed down from a fight so the fact that she was so resigned to Beca doing whatever she wanted was a bad sign. It meant she thought there wasn't anything left to fight over.

Her cell phone buzzed and she pulled it out. It was her agent. "Hello?"

"Beca where are you?" Jason asked. "People are asking for you."

"Yeah, I'm not coming," Beca said.

"What? An hour ago you were on your way," he said.

"Well, something came up," she said.

"Nothing could be more important than this," he laughed. "Seriously."

"I am being serious," Beca said. "I need some time off. Starting right now. So I won't be there tonight. Or tomorrow. I'll call you in a few weeks maybe?"

"A few weeks?" Jason said. "Beca-"

"A few weeks," Beca repeated. "Maybe longer. Trust me, this is more important than me or you or the label or anything else." Jason began to protest, but she hung up the phone. Oddly, she felt lighter. These stupid work events were obligations she didn't even enjoy. But she was done. For a while at least. It had been a spur of the moment act, but it felt right. She needed time to rebuild what she'd broken.

She drove home and let herself back into the house. Aubrey was sitting at the kitchen bench with a glass of wine. She had her forehead resting in one hand and she was holding her phone to her ear in the other. She hadn't heard Beca come in, but she was clearly upset.

"…I just don't know how much longer I can do this," she said. "Chlo, I love her so god damn much. But is that enough?" Beca cleared her throat.

"No it's not," she said. "And it shouldn't have to be." Aubrey whirled around.

"Yeah, she's home," Aubrey said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Chloe?" Beca asked.

"I needed to talk to someone," Aubrey sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago," Beca said. "I know it's not going to fix anything overnight. But I didn't even make it to the club. All I could think about was that look on your face and the fact that I did that. I'm supposed to be spending my life making you happy. Not putting looks like that on your face."

"Jason will be pissed," Aubrey said.

"Yeah well fuck him," Beca said. "I called and said he wouldn't be hearing from me for a couple of weeks at least."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I need you, Aubrey," she said plainly. "I've been an asshole and I've been absent, and I've hurt you. I don't want to be that guy. I want to fix this. Because all the fame in the world is nothing without you by my side."

"What are you suggesting?" Aubrey asked.

"Whatever you want. Counseling. I'll do that. I want to fix this. It's my fault it's broken. I'll quit my job."

"You don't need to quit your job," Aubrey said. "It's not that I hate your job. It's that I used to rank a lot higher on your list of priorities."

"I know. I'm sorry, Aubrey. But I'm going to do better. For you. I owe everything to you and if you're not here with me I don't even want to be famous," Beca said. "As long is it takes. I want us to be the way we were. The couple our friends used to roll their eyes at because we were utterly sickening with each other."

"It's one thing to say it. I need to see it."

"So let me try," Beca said. "I don't even know how to go about finding help but I will. I am going to do whatever it takes not to lose you, Bree. I can't lose you." Her eyes filled with tears and Aubrey could see how genuine she was being. And she wanted to believe her. She didn't want their relationship to be over.

"Okay," Aubrey said. "It's not going to be easy Beca. You've hurt me a lot. But I love you. God, I love you."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. If I didn't, I would have walked out without a care in the world weeks ago," she said.

"I love you, too. And I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I've hurt you and that I've ignored you. I'm sorry I haven't been keeping the promises I made to you about how our life together would be," she said. "And thank you for not giving up on me."

"Yeah well I made promises too," Aubrey said. She reached a hand out to Beca and slid her arms around her. They just held each other close, not speaking or moving, just breathing each other in.

"Will you come to bed?" Aubrey asked. "I don't remember the last night you held me as we fell asleep." Beca nodded and followed her wife upstairs. They stripped off and got into bed, the blonde immediately finding what used to be her normal spot in Beca's arms. Aubrey was clearly exhausted and asleep within minutes. Beca was the opposite. Her brain wouldn't shut off. She had to fix this. She was too terrified of the other option. Life without Aubrey wouldn't be worth it. She mulled her thoughts over until the sun began to peek through the curtains.


	7. Chapter 7

"It's all my…" Aubrey sobbed. "All my fault."

"No," Beca said softly. "Bree, this is not your fault. Nothing about this was your fault." A nurse left a box of tissues next to her and stepped out of the room, closing the door.

"Then why did our baby-"

"I don't know," Beca said. She squeezed her hand and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Sometimes these things just happen. And I know that it sucks and I know we both wanted it so badly, but we can try again in time."

"I can't," Aubrey said. "Obviously I'm not cut out to be a mom."

"You're kidding right?" Beca said. "You're the most natural mom I know. You've always taken perfect are of yourself and of me. You make sure I eat right and exercise and you are so generous and compassionate. Bree, you're the only thing in this whole parenting deal that I'm sure of."

"What does that mean?" Aubrey asked.

"When you first brought up the idea of kids, do you remember how fucking terrified I was?" Beca said. "I'm not good with kids. I'm not even good with parents. I don't know how to deal with body fluids and honestly most kids still just seem like a combination of noise and stickiness. But I'm planning on learning how to be a mom from you. I didn't even have a mom that I can remember. I'm so worried that I'm going to fuck any future kid of ours up. But we'll be okay, because you've already got that shit on lock. And I'm not saying we need to try again right now. But you, you need to be a mom. I see it. I feel it."

"I'm sorry," Aubrey whispered, hot tears falling to her cheeks. "I'm sorry that I couldn't carry our baby." Beca began to cry as well, cut up at how this was affecting her wife. She climbed onto the hospital bed and wrapped her arms around the older woman.

"I love you, Aubrey Mitchell Posen. And we will be parents one day, I promise you."

"You can't promise that," Aubrey said. Beca tilted her face up so she could meet her eyes.

"I can," Beca said. "Even if we have to adopt them, Aubrey, I promise to you right now that we're going to have a family and we'll love those kids so freaking much they'll think we're weirdos."

"Kids, multiple?" she said with a small smile.

"At least two," Beca said. "But I'd like three or four." Aubrey smiled a little wider. She snuggled into her wife's side. Beca's hand began stroking her hair.

"Tell me more," she said.

"Well I know you don't really get to pick the sex," Beca said, "but I'd like two of each. If we're lucky they'll be gorgeous just like you. We can name them after musicians we like, like Eva or Ella, and David or John or Billy. Or if you like, we can name our little girl after your mom."

"You've really thought about it?"

"Of course," Beca said. "I'll do whatever it takes to give you the family you deserve."

"I love you," she mumbled.

"I love you too. And this has been unbelievably hard, especially for you, but we can make it through anything."

Aubrey let out a hum, the brunette realizing that she was falling asleep. She tightened her grip on the blonde and leaned back against the upright of the raised bed. She prayed to a god she hadn't spoken to since she was a kid and asked him to take care of the little baby they would never get to know. Then she planted a kiss on the top of Aubrey's head and closed her eyes, her breathing falling in sync with her wife's.


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm coming, just sit tight!"

"Where am I going to go Beca!?" Aubrey asked. "Just get here as soon as you can."

"I'm on my way," she promised. She hung her phone up and turned to everyone in the studio. "Sorry boys and girls but I'm done for the day."

"What?" her co producer asked. "We're in the middle of - oh wait. No!"

"Yeah," she said. "Bree just went into labour. I'm gonna be a mom!" She hurriedly grabbed her stuff and bolted from the studio. She jumped into her car and headed for the hospital, careful to not go over the speed limit. Aubrey would kill her if she got pulled over on the way to the birth of their first child. She almost missed the turn off but got it just in time, pulling into the hospital lot and grabbing her bag before dashing through the halls to the delivery suites.

"Aubrey- Mitchell Posen," she panted. "She called and said she was here."

"She is," a nurse said. "She's asking for you. She's a lot further along than we first thought." She brought Beca back to the suite where Aubrey was clutching Chloe's hand hard.

"Beca," she said, "you're here."

"Of course, beautiful," she said. "Wouldn't miss this for anything in the world."

"Aubrey's been pushing already," the midwife said. "She said the pain wasn't too bad when she got here. Turns out your wife is tough as nails because she was ten centimeters and ready to go."

"That's my wife," she said, taking Chloe's place. "Walked around in heels with a fractured foot for three days before she thought she might need to see a doctor." Aubrey's face was contorting as a contraction approached.

"Ready Aubrey?" the midwife said. "Nice and strong just like before?" Aubrey nodded and pushed with all her strength, squeezing Beca hard.

"You're doing great," Beca said. "I'm so proud of you."

"She's not a screamer," Chloe said. "My cousin Molly screamed the hospital down. Bree's all business."

"She's incredible," Beca said, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "And she's going to be the best mom." Aubrey smiled weakly and her face screwed up again.

"Jesus this is painful," Aubrey muttered.

"I'm sure it is," Beca said as she began to breathe deeply. "But after it's over, you're going to be a mom and so am I. We're going to have a baby and we're going to love that kid so much."

"Okay, push!" the midwife said. "Doing great, Aubrey. Yep, we're crowning! That means we're almost done. Nice head of hair on baby, too."

"Hear that, Bree? Almost done. You can do anything, I know you can," she said. Aubrey leaned back, sucking in air.

"Mom number two, do you want to come take a look?" a nurse asked. The look on Beca's face made Chloe laugh out loud.

"Um no thanks," she said. "I'm cool here. You know. Moral support for Bree." Aubrey managed a chuckle.

"Beca couldn't handle it," Chloe said.

"Nope," Beca said. "I'll admit it. My wife is much tougher than I am." Aubrey's face contorted again.

"We're trying for the whole head this time," the midwife said. "You've got this." Beca bent low to Aubrey's ear and tried to reassure her as best she could. Aubrey groaned and pushed, still gripping tightly to her wife's hand. She kept pushing for as long as she could and they heard a wail.

"There's a beautiful sound," the midwife said. "That's your baby. Healthy set of lungs, that's for sure. We can get the shoulders out easy this push, Aubrey. Bubba is rotating nicely."

"Hear that?" Beca said. "That's our baby. That you carried and grew. Vocal cords like that, we've got a singer on our hands." She had tears in her eyes, as did her wife, though hers were largely exhaustion at this point.

"Okay," Aubrey said. "Let's do this." She steadied herself and Beca kissed her on the forehead. Then she pushed, teeth gritted, until she was red in the face. Suddenly a look of relief came over her face, Beca assuming the baby was all the way out.

"There we go," the midwife said. "All done, Aubrey, you did great. You can relax." She fell back against the bed, Beca still holding her hand.

"Well?" Beca said. "What's the verdict?" They'd both wanted not to know what they were having. The midwife was bundling the baby up, still covered in goop and blood.

"Congratulations ladies. You have what appears to be a very healthy little girl." She brought the baby around and placed her on Aubrey's chest. Both women stared at the bundle in absolute awe. Chloe was silent, letting them have this moment for themselves, but taking a few snaps on her phone of the newly formed family.

"Wow," Beca said, sniffling. "She's so beautiful, Bree. You did that. I can't believe how incredible you are. God I love you." Aubrey kissed her on the lips.

"I love you, too," she said. "This is ours? This beautiful little girl?"

"Yeah she is," Beca said.

"Sorry to intrude," the midwife said. "Do you have a name picked out? We'd like to clean her up and weigh her."

"Ella," Beca said. "Ella Victoria Mitchell Posen." Ella was a name they both liked, and Victoria was for Aubrey's mother.

"Okay, I've gotta take her, but I'll be right there," the nurse said, pointing to the window. "And you shouldn't move yet, Aubrey until we've cleared the afterbirth." The midwife was still between her legs.

"Won't be long," she said. "No tears or grazing, everything looks fine." Aubrey slumped back on the bed, succumbing to her exhaustion.

"Do you want some water?" Beca asked. Aubrey nodded. Chloe volunteered to get some and left the room.

"Love you," Aubrey said again. "Thanks for getting here in time."

"Thanks for waiting til I got here," Beca said. She kissed her softly, pushing sweat dampened hair from her forehead. "You're so beautiful right now."

"I highly doubt that."

"What are you going to do, get up and fight me? No? I guess you'll have to take my word for it." Beca teased. Aubrey didn't even have the energy to scowl. The midwife looked up.

"You want to shift up a little? You're all good down here, as good as can be expected." She helped Aubrey move into a slightly more upright position. "Okay. You feel okay?"

"Just tired."

"Yep. That'll happen. Are you planning on breastfeeding?" Aubrey nodded. "We'll get Ella back in here and see if she wants to latch. Better to stimulate the rooting reflex early. In terms of pain, it's going to hurt a little for a while. And it's not uncommon to feel pain in your uterus during breastfeeding but we can give you painkillers for that."

"Painkillers?" Beca asked.

"Perfectly safe for Ella," the midwife said. The nurse brought her back in, wrapped in a pink rug. She'd been cleaned up and looked quite content, though she was making some noises.

"Ella weighed in at seven pounds ten ounces," the nurse said. "And I think she's hungry." The midwife helped settle Aubrey in a comfortable position, just as Chloe returned with water and a straw. Beca unscrewed the cap and offered it to her wife, who took a few small sips.

The infant latched quickly and the nurse seemed pleased with how she was feeding. Chloe waited til all the medical professionals left the room until she approached them. She hugged Beca first. "She's so beautiful you guys. Bree, you're a total boss. When I have babies they better dope me up to my eyeballs, I swear."

"Wait, you didn't even get to be pumped full of drugs?" Beca said incredulously.

"Too late," Aubrey said, eyes glued to the feeding baby. "I was too far progressed when I got here."

"Jesus is there some way to test your pain tolerance?" Beca asked. "That just doesn't seem right."

"Can I?" Chloe asked. Beca moved so Chloe could see her up close. "Man she's tiny."

"This is your Aunt Chloe," Beca said softly. "I'm sure she's going to spoil you rotten."

"Sure am," Chloe said. "I'm the one who's going to buy you all the noisy fun toys. And when you're old enough we're going to watch every Disney movie ever made together."

"You've got a whole tribe of aunties who are going to love you and teach you all sorts of things," Beca said. "And a couple of uncles."

"But mommy says no unsupervised visits with Aunty Stacie until you're thirty," Aubrey added. "And you'll have to learn that not everything Aunt Amy says is entirely true."

"I took a couple photos earlier," Chloe said. She pulled her cell out. "If you want I can send them to you so you can tell everyone." She showed them the photos and they picked one. Beca sent it to what felt like a million people. Her phone started buzzing immediately but she didn't want to answer.

"Becs, I'll take it outside, just tell everyone to wait," Chloe said. "This is family time."

"Thanks," Beca said. "And thanks for getting her here."

"Please. Like I was going to miss this." She took Beca's still vibrating phone out into the hall. Beca pulled a chair over so she could sit next to her wife and daughter.

"I still can't believe she's ours," Aubrey said. Beca's fingers hesitantly reached out to stroke the baby's hair softly. She felt tears coming to her eyes, and didn't try to hold them back. This was her baby. Her daughter. "Beca, are you crying?"

"Of course I'm crying," she said with a sniffle. "Look at her. She's gorgeous. You're gorgeous. It doesn't get any better than this right here." Aubrey leaned toward her as best she could, Beca wrapping an arm around her and kissing her on top of the forehead, both of them with their eyes glued to the baby in Aubrey's arms.


	9. Chapter 9

"Didn't you see what I did?!" came the three year old's insistent voice. Beca laughed and ruffled the little girl's hair affectionately.

"Of course I saw," she said. "Pretty soon you're gonna be able to jump bigger than me!" The three year old had spent the better part of half an hour climbing onto the bench in the garden and jumping off.

"Yeah, Ell," Aubrey said. "You're getting so big now."

"I'm a big girl," she said insistently. "A big sister."

"Yeah you are," Beca said. She leaned back to kiss her wife on the lips, hand instinctively rubbing over the blonde's very swollen stomach. Aubrey was just under three weeks away from the due date of their second baby. This pregnancy had gone like the first, relatively smooth after the first trimester morning sickness faded. And like the first, they were choosing to be surprised by the sex of their child.

Aubrey said she felt like it was another girl, but Beca swore black and blue this one was a boy. So they'd struck a deal that whoever was right would get to choose the names. Beca finished up the last of her coffee - decaf while she was home, because she felt bad consuming so much caffeine when Aubrey couldn't - and went to kiss Ella on the head.

"Okay baby girl, momma will see you this afternoon after you come home from school and momma finishes work," she said. "And Alanna will pick you up from preschool." The little blonde pouted.

"You go-go to work?" she said.

"Yeah sweetie," Beca said. "But momma only has to go for today and then tomorrow and then after that she gets to stay home for a while. You gonna help me take care of mommy and little bub?" The blonde smiled widely.

"Yup." She nodded. "Love you mom."

"Love you too," she said. Then she walked back to her wife on the stairs and kissed her.

"And I love you too," she said. Aubrey pulled her in again by her collar, kissing her deeply until she was dazed. "Whoa."

"Something to remember today while you're working," the blonde said.

"Yeah, now I'm not going to be able to concentrate on anything," Beca said. "I won't be forgetting that in a hurry."

"Damn right," Aubrey said. Beca headed off to work.

Just as she predicted, she was unable to get the kiss from that morning out of her mind. Aubrey hadn't particularly frisky this far in to the first pregnancy and Beca had gone out of her way to make sure she respected that this time around. But that morning's kiss had gotten her started. She pulled out her cell.

[Miss you. You're gorgeous and I love you.]

She got a text back some time later.

[I love you too. I can't wait to see you tonight.]

She tapped her fingers on her desk. Aubrey normally wasn't much of a text-flirter. But Beca thought she'd keep playing into whatever it was Aubrey was doing.

[Seeing you is the highlight of my night every night]

She was pretty shocked when she received a picture next. It was shirtless Aubrey blowing a kiss to a camera, her already plentiful breasts made bigger during pregnancy. Beca thought Aubrey was a goddess especially when she was pregnant. She really nailed the glowy thing.

"Damn," Beca muttered. She hit dial and called her wife.

"Hey," Aubrey said in a much more salacious tone than normal.

"What the hell Bree? You trying to get me worked up here?"

"What can I say Beca? I know through most of the first one I wasn't feeling up to much of anything but I kind of just want you to put your hands on me," she said.

"Seriously?" Beca said. "I'm at work."

"Uh huh I know. So over the next two days I'll be texting you a lot."

"Now I really can't wait to get home," she said.

"I'll see you later," Aubrey said. "I'm just going to tidy up from breakfast and then take a bath."

"Okay," Beca breathed, and Aubrey hung up. When they'd built this house, one of the most important things for both Beca and Aubrey was the size of their bathroom and the tub. As a result it was a tub that was both wide and deep enough that they could both relax in it simultaneously, which often led to other activities. And right now, Beca could only think of Aubrey taking a bath all on her own. She picked up the phone on her desk.

"Beca?" came the voice of her boss.

"Hi Jay," she said. "Look, I know I'm not supposed to go on parental leave til Friday, but is there any chance I can take the last bit of this master home and work from there?"

"Worried about the wife?"

"A little," she said. She didn't mention that the only thing she was worried about was the blonde getting into that tub all on her own.

"Send it to Hope," he said. "I'll make sure she copies it to you when she's done. Go home. We'll survive without you."

"Thanks Jay," she said. She emailed it to Hope and shut everything down, then locked her office. She decided not to tell Aubrey she was coming home, just hurried back.

When she got home she couldn't hear Aubrey anywhere so she went upstairs. She could hear soft music coming from the bathroom and grinned. She stripped off her clothes and walked in. Aubrey's eyes were closed as she reclined in the tub.

"Hey," she said softly. Aubrey opened an eye.

"Uh-"

"I went on leave early. Couldn't stand the thought of you here in this tub all on your own." Aubrey wriggled herself forward so Beca could slide in behind her.

"Jay's okay?"

"Jay let me send my work to Hope just so I could come home," Beca said, wrapping her arms around Aubrey and encouraging her to lay against her. "He assumed I was worried about you."

One hand was resting on Aubrey's stomach, but she let the other slide upwards, cupping her breast before pinching the nipple lightly. Aubrey let out a hiss of pleasure. Beca bent her neck a little and planted soft kisses along her shoulder. Aubrey sighed as she let her teeth dig into her skin.

"And I was worried," Beca murmured. "About not being here to put my hands on you when you wanted it." She was massaging both breasts now.

"Beca," Aubrey moaned. "I need you."

Pregnancy sex wasn't the easiest to navigate, but they'd worked out their preferred positions. Aubrey was pretty useless any way except being on her back. So after carefully helping her wife out of the tub and into the bedroom, Beca lay her on the bed and parked between her legs. Aubrey wasn't lying when she said she needed Beca. It was easily the fastest orgasm she'd ever worked out of the blonde, soft tongue and fingers working in tandem throwing her over the edge in no time. She began tugging at Beca's hands immediately.

"We can wait if you need to," Beca said. "I just wanted to take care of you after your texts this morning."

"Beca, get up here and sit on my face, dammit," Aubrey commanded. Beca hastened to comply for more than one reason. Firstly, Aubrey had her bossy voice on and one did not keep Aubrey waiting when she used that tone. Secondly, the whole face sitting thing was something they hadn't done until Aubrey was pregnant. Aubrey still wanted to please Beca, but couldn't do much bending or contorting, and even less as time went on. Somehow Chloe had mentioned it in a completely unrelated conversation, and the blonde had brought it up once they'd gotten home.

The first time had been incredible for both of them. And Aubrey remarked that she actually really got off on having Beca sit on her face. And who was she to argue against that?

After Aubrey managed to lick and suck Beca into her own orgasm, the brunette carefully curled around her body. Her hand settled on her wife's swollen abdomen.

"She's always really still after sex," Aubrey said. "Maybe all the rocking puts her to sleep."

"Except you mean he and him," Beca smiled into her hair.

"Yeah right," Aubrey teased. She sighed. "And as much as I loved having you crash my bath, I actually need to take one."

"Let me run you a hot one," Beca said. "Then I'll call Alanna and let her know that I'll pick Ella up from preschool. And I might even take you out for lunch." Aubrey wriggled onto her back.

"I love you Beca," she said. "You take such good care of me and Ella."

"Because I love you guys more than anything," Beca said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Let me deal with that bath."

Aubrey watched as Beca got up and disappeared into the bathroom. When she called out that the bath was okay but she'd come and help her up, Aubrey responded she'd be fine. She got out of bed, just as Beca reappeared in the doorway.

"Bree-"

"Oh shit!" Aubrey said as a gush of water hit her legs.

"Bree, did you… Is this?"

"Looks like the bath is going to have to wait," Aubrey said. "My water just broke."


	10. Chapter 10

"I can't breathe!" Stacie laughed hysterically. She wasn't the only one, all of the Bellas save two were erupting in giggles. The two who weren't exactly tickled by the current situation were Aubrey and Beca.

They'd gotten together with their oldest friends to celebrate their ten year wedding anniversary. Five years of dating, a year of engagement, ten years of marriage and two kids; Ella and Harrison. But Alanna, their nanny, had taken the kids home to bed, upon which Amy had announced that she could give them her and Stacie's present, since it wasn't exactly suitable for young audiences.

That should have been enough to tip them off. Aubrey had looked hesitant unwrapping the box, and upon seeing what the gift was, both girls were left staring in uncomfortable shock. Amy and Stacie had gifted them with a strap on. And not just a strap on. The box proclaimed it to be a "Monster Dong Deluxe", measuring twelve inches with a realistic texture.

"That thing is bigger than my fucking arm," Beca mumbled to Aubrey. The blonde turned her attention to Amy since Stacie was still laughing too hard to talk.

"Amy?" Aubrey asked. "What on earth would possess you to bring this… thing… here tonight?"

"Well, captain and captain," she said, "It's been ten years. Nobody would blame you if the sex was starting to drop off a little."

"Well as much we appreciate your concern for our sex life," Beca said, "I'll have you know that we hold up just fine."

"Sure," Stacie said, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "I'm sure you do."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it," Amy said. "Just because you love lady bits."

"Moving on," Chloe said, handing them her own gift. Both women were relieved at the segue.

That night they were in their hotel room and staring at the package with wide eyes.

"There isn't anything about this thing that I want near me," Beca said firmly. "It's got a realistic texture? Ew."

"I know, right?" Aubrey said. "Gross. And twelve inches? Jesus Christ."

"So… Never gonna happen?" Beca asked.

"Never," Aubrey agreed. Beca picked up the box and stuffed it into one of their bags. "Plus, they know nothing about our sex life." She pulled Beca toward her and began unbuttoning her shirt.

"I know," Beca said. Her hands slid up the back of Aubrey's silky top. "Ten years has not slowed us down one bit."

"I'd wager that we probably have more sex than any of them," Aubrey said.

"Even Stacie?" Beca asked. Aubrey paused for a moment and shrugged.

"Maybe. Because she has to find someone for sex first, whereas all I have to do is this -" she bent down to Beca's neck and kissed it, sucked at it a little, and then bit down.

"Yep," Beca breathed. "And because you've been drinking champagne all it takes is a hand in your hair." She fisted Aubrey's hair, and brought their mouths together. It was hot and messy, and Beca's shirt was on the ground in a matter of minutes. They both stumbled toward the bed, fingers fumbling at buttons and zips and belts. Aubrey was faster and yanked Beca's jeans down, then changed their trajectory. She pushed Beca toward the chair by the desk, stripped her own top and pants off and straddled her lap.

Her hands automatically flew to Aubrey's thighs, running up and down the tan skin as they made out heavily. Aubrey rolled her hips into Beca, the brunette grabbing her hard by the ass. She rose out of the chair, Aubrey instinctively wrapping her legs around her, staggered toward the bed and climbed on top of her wife. She made quick work of the strapless bra, letting her hands run down Aubrey's body. She'd carried both of their kids, not that you could tell. The only sign was a row of faded stretch marks low on her body, a gift from their son who had been close to ten pounds born. Aubrey had been self conscious for a while about them, but Beca loved them. She loved everything about Aubrey's body.

Like her breasts, where she was currently devoting a lot of time and attention. Aubrey was letting out little hums and pants as Beca worked her magic, occasionally releasing an "oh god" as she tongued her nipple. Aubrey tugged at Beca's bra clasp a few times before she got it undone, flinging the garment across the room and hauling the smaller woman up so they were face to face. She kissed her deeply, rolling them over and letting her crotch grind down against Beca's. She let her body settle into Beca's, their bodies perfectly accustomed to one another after so long.

Beca's fingertips ran through the lace at the top of her panties, one hand sliding in the back and cupping her ass softly. Aubrey pushed Beca's panties down, fingertips ghosting over the skin on her legs, and she knelt between her legs for a moment. She was trying to decide how she wanted to this. Beca decided for her.

"I want to see you," Beca said. "Come here." Aubrey discarded her underwear and crawled back up to Beca's face. Their lips met in a series of soft kisses. Aubrey's eyes were glued to Beca as she finally reached down and touched her. The brunette's head tilted back a little and her neck stretched out, teeth clamping down on her lip.

"God you're sexy," Aubrey said. Beca exhaled as she began to move the fingers inside her. Aubrey gasped when she felt Beca's fingers on her, then in her in return. They matched speeds, going stroke for stroke. Their eyes were locked as they frantically worked one another, breaking only when their lips were attached. Beca could feel Aubrey begin to tighten, begin to move more erratically. She sped up her movements and used her thumb to circle her clit, Aubrey letting out a shriek as the unexpected pleasure tipped her into orgasm. She didn't take her fingers out of Beca though, simply slowed for a moment as her peak hit her and then continued, intent at returning the favor.

It didn't take much. Aubrey knew her weaknesses. She bit down on the crook of Beca's neck and in a few more short thrusts the brunette was coming with a satisfied groan. They lay in each other's arms, panting.

"Ten years and you can still get me off in no time," Beca said.

"You don't think we're done, do you?" Aubrey said. A glint reached Beca's eyes.

"I was hoping not," she said, rolling on top of Aubrey and pinning her to the mattress with a fiery kiss.

The next morning, Stacie and Amy opened the door of the room they had shared to a box on the floor. Stacie brought it in and opened it, finding the strap on they'd given Beca and Aubrey the night before with a note.

 _Amy & Stacie,_  
We know for a fact you guys shared a room last night. Meanwhile, we managed six orgasms between us. Tell us again who needs this plastic dick? Ten years is nothing.  
Beca & Bree


End file.
